--- title: "Russia Says It Will Replace Wikipedia With State-Run Site" description: "The Russian government confirmed it will replace Wikipedia with an online version of the \"Great Russian Encyclopedia,\" Reuters reports." date: "2019-12-03" modified: "2019-12-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-wikipedia-unreliable" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "Russia" - "the digest" - "wikipedia" --- # Russia Says It Will Replace Wikipedia With State-Run Site ![The Russian government confirmed it will replace Wikipedia with an online version of the "Great Russian Encyclopedia," Reuters reports.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* ## In Russia Last month, Russian president Vladimir Putin [complained that]() the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia was "unreliable" and called for it to be replaced. Now, the Russian government has confirmed it will replace Wikipedia with an online version of the "Great Russian Encyclopedia," [*Reuters* reports](). "As for Wikipedia... it’s better to replace it with the new Big Russian Encyclopaedia in electronic form," Russian news agency *RIA Novosti* [quoted]() Putin as saying at a Kremlin meeting last month. "At least that will be reliable information, presented in a good, modern way." ## Kremline It's yet another sign that the Kremlin is taking an active role in cracking down on the types of information its citizens are able to access online. Earlier this year, Russian authorities [announced plans]() to temporarily disconnect the country from the internet as a way to test its cybersecurity defenses. In 2017, the Russian government also [proclaimed]() that they plan to handle up to 95 percent of all internet traffic locally — that is, independent from the rest of the world — by 2020. The new online encyclopedia will reportedly cost about 2 billion rubles ($31 million). The government is also planning on setting up a national research and education center to serve the Great Russian Encyclopaedia, according to *Reuters*. **READ MORE:** [Russia to upgrade homegrown encyclopedia after Putin pans Wikipedia]() \[*Reuters*\] **More on Russia:** *[Russia Plans to Cut Itself Off From the Global Internet]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()